Adjustable threshold



June 10, 1958 J. E. FRYAR, JR

ADJUSTABLE THREsHoLD Filed April 13, 1956 lll/m "FIGB INVENToR.

JEWEL E.F'n.YAn.,.\w.. BY

ATTO QNE'YS United States Patent O ADJUSTABLE THRESHOLD Jewel E. Fryar,Jr., Alexandria, La., assignor to National Guard Products, Inc.,Memphis, Tenn., a corporation of Tennessee Application April 13, 1956,Serial No. 577,973

2 Claims. (Cl. 2064) This invention relates to threshold plate devices,and more particularly to an adjustable threshold assembly for use on apair of vertically offset surfaces adjacent a doorway, Vor the like.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedadjustable threshold assembly which is simple in construction, which isattractive in appearance, and which is automatically adjustable so thatit may be employed to lit a wide variety of situations wherein thevertical distance between a pair of offset surfaces Vadjacent thedoorway is not a definite value, and whereby the ,threshold assembly maybe standardized in construction,

yet may be employed for variable conditions, as above mentioned. f

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved thresholdplate assembly which is adjustable in height, which is inexpensive tofabricate, which is durable in construction, and which is easy toinstall.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from fthe accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an improved threshold assemblyaccording to the present invention, shown installed adjacent a doorwayand on vertically offset surfaces at said doorway.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional view takenon the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the segments of thethreshold assembly of Figures l and 2 in separated position.

Referring to the drawings, the threshold assembly comprises a firstplate member 11 adapted to be secured on the lower surface 12 of a pairof vertically offset surfaces adjacent a doorway, the upper surfacebeing shown at 13. The surfaces 12 and 13 may be of any of the usualmaterials employed in construction, being shown in the drawings as ofconcrete. Thus, the plate member 11 is secured to the surface 12 bymeans of a plurality of fastening bolts 14 engaged in bolt anchors 15embedded in the concrete member 12, as shown in Figure 2. The members14, 15 may be any suitable fastening means, for example, conventionalexpansion bolts.

Designated at 16 is a second plate member which is secured on the uppersurface 13 in the same manner as the lirst plate member 11, for example,by the bolts 17 engaged in bolt anchor sleeves 1S embedded in the body13. The second plate member 16 is formed with a vertically thickenedportion 19 which extends over the corner 20 between the surfaces 12 and13, as shown in Figure 2, the vertically thickened portion 19 having adepending ange portion 21 projecting below said corner. The longitudinalvertically thickened portion 19 is formed with a groove 22 ofsubstantial depth, said groove extending upwardly for the major portionof the height of the vertically thickened portion, as shown, and beinginclined so that it extends substantially parallel to the inclined endsurface 23 of the vertically thickened portion 19. The first platemember 11 is formed at its inner longituouter surface 23 is formed atits bottom end with a'bead 28 which engages the outer surface 29 offlange 24,

opposing the bead 25, and providing bearing contact be# tween bead 28and surface 29 which is complementary to the bearing contact betweenbead 25 and the inside surface of groove 22, guiding the flange 24 forrelatively close telescopic adjustment in the groove 22.

The thickened portion 19 is formed at one top edge with a horizontallyextending flange portion Sii which substantially overlies the inclinedsurface 23 and at its opposite top edge with a flange portion 30. Saidflanges 30 and 30' provide scraper edges for the threshold assembly. Asshown, the top surface of the first plate member 11 is slightly inclinedwith respect to the horizontal, and the top surface of .the second platemember 16 issomewhat more inclined to the horizontal, but in an oppositedirection with respect to the inclination of the top surface of thefirst plate member 11. The top surface of plate member 16 joins thethickened portion 19 by a relatively steeply inclined offset surface 31,as shown.

The plate member 16 is formed on its bottom surface with a plurality ofspaced parallel longitudinal grooves 32, the depending flange element 21being a downward extension of the wall of the innermost groove 32. Theplate member 11 is likewise formed with a plurality of longitudinallyextending bottom grooves 33. The bottom grooves 32 and 33 allow freedrainage beneath the threshold plates, thus reducing possible corrosionof the bottom surfaces of the plates.

As will be readily apparent, the threshold plates 16 and 11 may bereadily adjusted relative to each other' to accommodate varying verticaldistances between the surfaces 12 and 13, so lthat a standardizedassembly of the threshold members may be employed to cover a wide rangeof variations in the vertical height between the two surfaces adjacent adoorway at which the threshold as sembly is to be employed.

Thus, as shown in Figure l, the threshold assembly may be installedadjacent a doorway 34 with the rst plate member 11 secured on thelowermost surface adjacent said doorway and the second threshold plate16 secured on the upper surface at the doorway, as illustrated, thethreshold plates being adjustably connected together and cooperating, asabove described, to cover the corner between the vertically offsetsurfaces adjacent said doorway in the manner illustrated in Figure 2.

While a specific embodiment of an improved .threshold assembly has beendisclosed in the foregoing description, It Will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitationsbe placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A threshold assembly comprising a first plate mem ber, means forsecuring said first plate member to the lower of a pair of verticallyoffset surfaces adjacent a doorway, an upstanding flange at alongitudinal margin of said first plate member, a second plate member,means for securing said second plate member to the upper of said pair ofvertically offset surfaces adjacent said rstnamed plate member inoverlying relationship to said upstanding ange, said second plate memberbeing formed with a longitudinal groove slidably receiving saidupstanding ange, and opposed guiding means on the top edge of sa-idflange andthe lower end ofan inner surface of said groove and engagingthe inner surface of the groove and said ange respectively.

2'. A'threshold assembly comprising a rst plate member, means forsecuring said first plate member to the lower of a pair of verticallyoiset surfaces adjacent a standing ange, said second plate member beingformed with a longitudinal groove slidably receiving said upstandingflange with said bead element engaging an inner surface of said groove7the lower end of said inner surface being formed with an opposing beadelement engaging the surface of said flange.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,715,18n `ullock 'et al. May 28, 1929 1,826,613 Garrison Oct. 6, 19311,840,879 Barringer Ian. 12, 1932 2,188,049 Kammerer Y Y lan. 23, 1940

